Journal box lid



Nov. 6, 1962 G. w. coPE JOURNAL BOX LID Filed May 25. 1959 FIG. 4

Inventor: Geoffrey W. Cope his Attorney 3,062,595 Patented Nov. 6, 1952vtice.

3,062,595 lUl-LNAL BOX LED Georey VJ. Cope, Williamsville, NY., assignerto Syrningtnn Wayne Corporation, Salisbury, Md., a corporation ofMaryland Filed May 25, 1959, Ser. No. 815,541 Claims. (Cl. 3168-47) Thisinvention relates to lids for railway journal boxes.

An obstacle long confronting the development of journal box lids hasbeen the limitation imposed on a lids closing pressure by the necessityfor opening the lid at frequent intervals to permit inspection of theinterior of the journal box to which it is applied. Were it simply amatter of increasing the pressure after the lid is closed, the solutionwould be found in any of the numerous socalled high pressure lidsproposed or in service. However, all such prior lids have depended forincreasing their pressure on levers or similar means requiring specialhandling by inspectors and with the number of inspectors legion and thelids in interchange service of many types, it has been a practicalimpossibility to have any lid given special handling. The result ha-sbeen that the full capabilities of high pressure lids heretofore havebeen used intermittently, if at all.

The shortcomings of present high pressure lids and the concerted effortnow being made to eliminate all possible causes of hot boxes, only serveto emphasize the need for a lid which will exert a high pressure whenclosed but require no special handling and may be opened and closed witha force comparable to that needed for an ordinary lid. The primaryobject of this invention is to provide such a lid.

Another object of the invention is to provide a journal box lid whichapplies increased pressure when closed but neutralizes the increaseduring opening or closing by a dead man lever operating automatically onrelease to restore the maximum pressure of which the lid is capable.

An additional object of the invention is to provide a high pressurejournal box lid in which the handle by which the lid is opened andclosed also is the handle of a lever, which during opening and closingof the lid reduces the required force to the order of that needed for anordinary lid and on release automatically restores the maximum forceexertable by the lid.

Another object of the invention is to provide a high pressure journalbox lid of the character described which is simple and rugged inconstruction and so mounts its lever as to be non-rattling in operation.

Gther objects and advantages of the invention will appear hereafter inthe detailed description, be particularly pointed out in the appendedclaims and be illustrated in the accompanying drawings, in which:

FIGURE l is a side eleva-tional view of a preferred embodiment of thejournal box lid of the present invention with the lid and associatedstructure tilted out of normal so that the cover of -the lid isvertical;

FIGURE 2 is a fragmentary front elevational view of the structure ofFIGURE l;

FIGURE 3 is a fragmentary vertical sectional View on an enlarged scaletaken along the lines 3 3 of FIG- URE 2;

EGURE 4 is a fragmentary transverse sectional View taken along the lines4-4 of FIGURE 3; and

FGURE 5 is a fragmentary view from the underside of the upper endportion of the lever.

Referring now in detail to the drawings in which like referencesdesignate like parts, the improved journal box lid of this invention isof general application to railway journal boxes.

The journal box lid illustrated as exemplary of the invention is in manyrespects similar to a typical, ordinary or conventional lid of thearticulated type now in general use. Thus, the illustrated lid has ahood 1 connectable by a pintle pin 2 to a hinge lug 3 of a journal box 4and connected for limited relative angling or articulation to a cover 5adapted to seat on a lid face 6 on the journal box about a front opening7 therein and so cover or close that opening. As in a typicalarticula-ted lid, the articulated connection between the hood 1 andcover 5 may be formed by a web S connecting the transversely spaced,longitudinally extending or downstanding legs 9 of the hood and havingan outwardly facing, spherically concave socket 16- seating in a cavityor depression 11 formed centrally in the outer face 12 of the cover 5,the socket in turn seating an inwardly convex or facing, correspondinglyspherical ball or protuberance 13 formed in a bridge member 14straddling the web 8 between the legs 9 and Welded or otherwise xed orsecured at or adjacent its longitudinal or vertical extremities in thecover above and below the cavity 11.

For applying the pressure by which the cover 5, when closed, is heldtight against the lid face 6 on the journal box 4, there is employed atorsion or other suitable lid spring 15 which applies a closing force tothe cover by reacting against the hinge lugs 3. Like that used in onetype of ordinary or conventional lid, the illustrated lid spring 15 isof downwardly opening U-shape, and has the lower ends 16 of itstransversely spaced legs 17 inturned or toed-in and bearing against theouter face 12 of the cover 5 substantially midway between the lattersvertical extremities and at either side of the cavity 11. The spring 15,on a horizontally or transversely extending cross rod 18 forming itsupper end and integral with and connecting the upper extremities of itslegs 17, carries or mounts a roller 19 which is adapted to engage andride on the peripheral surface 20 of the hinge lug 3 and through whichthe spring reacts against the journal box 4, the illustrated lug surfaceconforming to the contour shown in Blattner Patent No. 2,675,127 8 andnow standard for journal box hinge lugs. rIhe coils 21 on the legs 17intermediate their .ends in their turn `seat against seats 22 providedfor that purpose on the inner surface or face 23 of the hood 1.

Acting outwardly against the hood 1 through its coils 21 and inwardlyagainst the cover 5 through the lower ends 16 of its legs 17 andreacting through the roller 19 against the hinge lug 3, the illustratedspring 15 is adapted to apply, at the center of the cover, an inward orclosing force which is the resultant of or difference between the inwardand outward forces exerted by the spring respectively on the cover andon the web S connecting the legs 9 of the hood 1. In the ordinary lid,the closing force exerted by the lid spring on the cover usually willnot exceed 60 pounds, this upper limit being imposed by the necessity,predicted on the strength of the average inspector, that the lid beopenable by a force of about 25 to 30 pounds which, in the ordinary lidis applied to a handheld formed on the cover below the portion thereofcovering the front opening in the journal box. Inadequate for eiectivesealing of the front opening under all service conditions, thislimitation on the closing force of the ordinary lid, which renders itineffective for sealing under all service condition, is avoided in thelid of this invention in which the spring 15 is enabled to be ofsufficient strength to apply a closing force on the cover practicallydouble that obtained in the ordinary lid and ample for effectivesealing, without correspondingly increasing the force required foropening and closing.

In attaining its objective, the lid of this invention dispenses with theusual handhold on the cover and, instead, uses, as its operating handle,lever means 24 fulcrumed on the hood 1 or other suitable part of the lidand operative to apply a force opposing and reducing that exerted by thespring 15 on the hinge lug 3. The lid deriving the closing force on itscover 5 from the reactance of the Spring against the hinge lug 3, anyreduction in the force exerted by the spring on the hinge lug willreduce the closing force on the cover. Thus, as opposed to an ordinarylid in which the static closing force xes the opening force required tobe applied to the cover to open the lid, the closing force on the cover5 of the lid of this invention is progressively reduced or decreasedwith increase in the force on the lever means 24 by reduction in theforce exerted by the spring 15 on the hinge lug 3, with the result thatthe outward force required to be applied to the cover through the leverand hood to open the lid is far less than the static closing force onthe cover. Not only does tne lever means 24 effect this reduction in theclosing pressure of the spring 15 on the cover 5 without appreciablemovement prior to opening, but it maintains this reduction as the lid isswung between closed and open positions by moving relative to the hood 1or other part of the lid on which it is fulcrumed. It is this principlethat is utilized in the lid of this invention to reduce a static closingforce far in excess of that employable in an ordinary lid to the pointat which the lid may be opened by a force within the required 25-30pound range without extending the lever means beyond the verticalcontines of the ordinary lid and without requiring special handlingeither during opening or closing or after the lid is closed.Specifically, it is possible in a lid of the relative dimensions of theillustrated embodiment to increase the strength of the spring 15 so thatthe static pressure on the cover 5 is some 98 pounds and nonethelessopen the lid with a force of 29.3 pounds.

The lever means 24, in its simplest and preferred form, is a dead man orautomatic return lever which, when released, automatically returns tonormal position and restores the force of the spring 15 to maximum. Inthe illustrated embodiment, the lever 24 is mounted on or carried by andconnected adjacent its upper end 25 to the hood 1 for fulcruming on theouter surface or face 26 thereof. Centered laterally or transversely onand extending longitudinally of the hood 1, the lever 24 projects orextends below the legs 9 of the hood and also preferably below thestraight lower edge 27 of the preferred rectangular cover 5substantially to the level of the handhold on the cover of an ordinarylid. In the main substantially paralleling the cover 5, the lower partof the lever 24 conveniently is ared or widened adjacent its lower orfree end 2S to provide a readily grippable handhold or handle portion29. The lever 24, as a Whole, may be of any cross-section suitable forrigidity, that shown, except for its handheld 29, being of channelsection with a central web 30 reinforced by side flanges 31.

The connection between the upper end portion of the lever 24 and thehood 1 is made by a link or connector 32 which at the same time connectsor links the lever to the upper end or portion of the spring 15 whichreacts against the hinge lug 3, here the cross rod 13. In theillustrated form, the link 32 is an eyebolt, the eye 33 of whichencircles the cross rod 18 between the two parts into which the roller19 is axially divided or split, and the stem or shank 34 of whichprojects or extends, preferably normal to the substantially verticalfront face 35 of the hinge lug 3, through aligned apertures or openings36 and 37, respectively, in the front or outer wall 38 of the hood andthe centra-l web 3@ of the lever. Beyond or outwardly of the web, theshank 34 of the eyebolt 32 carries a nut or like suitable means 39 forconnecting the eyebolt to the lever and the latter to the hood 1. S-olinked, the lever 24 is adapted, during both opening and closing of thelid, to appl-y a retracting force to the upper end 18 of the spring 15for reducing the force exerted by the latter against the hinge lug 3 byproviding the lever with a pair of fulcrums vertically straddling,bracketing or spanning its connection to the link 32, one an upper oropening fulcrum 40 and the other a lower or closing fulcrum 41. Fixed onthe outer surface 26 of the hood 1 above and below the stem-receivingaperture 36 in the outer wall 33 thereof, the fulcrums 4o and 41, toena-ble them additionally to prevent the lever 24 from rotating out ofits vertical position about the stem 34 of the eyebolt 32, eachconveniently may be formed by a preferably cylindrically convex rib orridge 42 outstanding from and extending horizontally or transversely ofone of the members and normally seating in a correspondingly extendingand concave groove 43 in the confronting surface of the other member,the ribs here being formed on the underside 44 of the lever 24 and themating grooves in the outer surface 26 of the hood 1.

Respeetively at or adjacent and downwardly of the upper end 2S of thelever 24 and together bracketing or straddling the stem 34 of theeyebolt 32 and the aperture 36 in the hood 1 through which the stemprojects, the upper and lower fulcrums 4i) and 41 enable the lever toapply an outward retracting or pulling force on the upper end 1S of thespring 15 and so decrease the force exerted by the spring on the hingelug 3 incident to and without change in the normal motions by which thelid is swung open and closed. Thus the lever 24 will fulcrum about theupper ulcrum 49 on opening and the lower fulcrum 41 on closing, actingin the iirst instance as a second class lever and in the second as afirst class lever. In each case the force exerted by the spring 15against the hinge lug 3 is reduced by an amount equal to the forceapplied to the lower end 28 of the lever 24 multiplied bythe mechanicaladvantage as measured by the quotient of the length of the lever armdivided by the reactance arm, the latter the distance between the centerof the stem 34 and the particular fulcrum on which the lever is acting.In turn, as previously pointed out, this reduction in the force againstthe hinge lug 3 is accompanied by a reduction in the closing force onthe cover 5 to the point at which the lid, despite the almost doublestatic closing force on its cover, may be opened with a force comparablewith that required for an ordinary lid. To take full advantage of theincrease in the static closing force and at the same time avoid themachining to close tolerances that would otherwise be required, therepreferably is bonded to the inner face 45 of the cover 5 a Urethane orlike resilient sealing gasket 46, which in the closed position of thelid seats against the lid face 6 on the journal box.

While the lever 24 reduces the force applied by the spring 15 to thehinge lug 3, it is neither designed nor intended to counterbalance thatforce, so that the roller 19 at all times remains in contact with theperiphery 20 of the hinge lug. Nonetheless, relative movement betweenthe lever and both the hood 1 and the retractor or eyebolt 32 willoccur, as the roller 19 is displaced outwardly toward the front Wall 38of the hood in rolling or moving, as the lid is opened or closed,between its closed position on the front face 35 of the lug and thelatters upper corner or apex 47. The apertures 40 and 41 in the hood andlever therefore are enlarged relative to the diameter of the stern 34 toaccommodate the relative movement of the stem without binding.

With the lever 24 and link 32 in eilect pivotally or rockably connectedby virtue of the lateral play of the stem 34 in the lever aperture 37and the relative pivoting preferably facilitated by interposing betweenthe nut 39 and outer face 43 of the web 30 an inwardly dished Bellevilleor other suitable spring washer 49, there still remains the problem ofpreventing rattling of the lever in the closed position of the lid. It,of course, would be possible to tighten up the nut 39 to the point atwhich the lid spring 15 would exert an inward force therethrough on thelever and so hold the ribs or bearing elements 42 on the underside 44 ofthe latter in tight engagement with their grooves or seats 43 on thehood.

However, this would have the disadvantage of reducing correspondinglythe maximum force exertable by the spring against the hinge lug 3 withattendant reduction in the static closing force on the cover 5. Ittherefore is preferred to employ additional spring means for normallyholding the lever in tight engagement with the cover.

In the illustrated embodiment, the additional spring means is in theform of a coil spring 5t) encircling the stem 34 of the eyebolt 32inwardly of the outer wall 38 of the hood and acting between that walland an annular shoulder 51 formed on the eyebolt between its stem andits eye 33. If, in addition, the cross rod-receiving opening 52 in theeye 33 is somewhat elongated axially of the stem 34, it is possible toturn the nut 39 in to the point at which the lever 24 is pulled tightagainst the hood 1 by the stem encircling, anti-rattling spring S0,Without affecting either the pressure exerted by the lid spring 15against the hinge lug 3 or the action of the lever in applying aretracting force to that spring during opening and closing of the lid.Once this adjustment is made, the nut 39 readily may be xed in adjustedposition by a cotter pin or like locking means 53 extending radiallythrough the bolt 32 and an axial slot 54 provided for that purpose inthe outer end portion of the stem.

The lever 24 not only permits a drastic increase in the closing force onthe cover, but also facilitates the initial retraction of the upper end1S of the lid spring 15 required to enable the lid to be mounted on ajournal box. Thus, for this purpose, a temporary retainer pin may bedriven between the confronting faces of the lever 24 and the hood 1below the stem 34 of the eyebolt 32, so as to seat against and be heldin place by the lower fulcrum 41 or, as indicated in the drawings, aU-shaped retainer 55 may be driven through suitable apertures in theupper end of the hood to engage the upper end of the spring directly ateither side of the roller 19. In either case, crowbar (not shown) mayreadily be inserted between the lever and the cover to apply the forcerequired further to retract the upper end of the spring to the point atwhich the temporary retaining means can readily be removed.

From the above detailed description, it will be apparent that there hasbeen provided an improved journal box lid which, while openable andclosable in the same manner and with substantially the same force as anordinary lid, on closing automatically exerts on its cover a closingforce far in excess of the maximum possible in the ordinary lid. Itshould be understood that the described and disclosed embodiment ismerely exemplary of the invention and that all modifications areintended to be included which do not depart from either the spirit ofthe invention or the scope of the appended claims.

Having described my invention, I claim:

1. A journal box lid comprising a cover, spring means reactable againsta hinge lug of a journal box for applying a closing force to said cover,and lever means operative on actuation to act on said spring means inopposition thereto for reducing the force exertable by said spring meanson said lug and therethrough the closing force on said cover.

2. A journal box lid comprising a cover, spring means reactable againsta hinge lug of a journal box for applying a closing force to said cover,and lever means operative on actuation to act on said spring means inopposition thereto for reducing the force exertable by said spring meanson said lug and therethrough said closing force on said cover and onrelease automatically to restore said force.

3. A journal box lid comprising a cover, a hood connected for limitedrelative angling to said cover and connectable to a hinge lug of ajournal box, sp-ring means reactable against said lug for applying aclosing force to said cover, and lever means fulcrumed on said hood andoperative on actuation to act on said spring means in opposition theretofor reducing the force exertable by said v6 spring means on said lug andtherethrough said closing force on said cover.

4. A journal box lid comprising a cover, a hood connected for limitedrelative angling to said cover and connectable to a hinge lug of ajournal box, spring means reactable against said lug for applying aclosing force to said cover, and lever means fulcrummed on said hood andlinked to said spring means for reducing the force exertable by saidspring means on said lug and therethrough said closing force on saidcover by applying an opposing force to said spring means.

5. A journal box lid comprising a cover, a hood connected for limitedrelative angling to said cover and connectable to a hinge lug of ajournal box, spring means reactable against said lug and acting on saidcover for applying a closing force thereto, lever means fulcrumed onsaid hood, and link means connecting said lever means to an end portionof said spring means reactable against said lug, said lever means onfulcruming reducing the force exertable by said spring means on said lugand therethrough said closing force on said cover.

6. A journal box lid comprising a cover, a hood connected for limitedrelative angling to said cover and connectable to a hinge lug of ajournal box, spring means reactable against said lug and acting on saidcover for applying a closing force thereto, and lever means fulcrumed onsaid hood and operative on actuation to act on said spring means inopposition thereto for reducing the force exertable by said spring meanson said lug and therethrough said closing force on said cover and onrelease automatically to restore said force.

7. A journal `bo-x lid comprising a cover, a hood connected for limitedrelative angling to said cover and connectable to a hinge lug of ajournal box, spring -means reactable yagainst said lug and acting onsaid cover for applying -a closing force thereto, lever meansfulcrummable on said hood on any of a plurality of fulcrums spacedlongitudinally thereof, and link means connected to an upper por-tion ofsaid spring means and to said lever means intermediate said fulcrums,said lever means on fulcruming on any of said fulcrums exerting -aretracting force reducing the force exertable by said spring meansagainst said lug and therethrough said closing force on said cover.

8. A journal box lid comprising a cover, a hood connected for limitedrelative angling to said cover and connectable to a hinge lug of ajournal box, spring means reactable against said lug and acting on saidcover for applying a closing force thereto, lever means fulcrummable onsaid hood on any of a plurality of fulcrums spaced longitudinallythereof, and link means connected to an upper portion of said springmeans and pivotally connected to said lever means intermediate sai-dfulcrums, said lever means on fulcrurning on -any of said fulcrumsexerting a retracting force reducing the force exertable `by said springlmeans against said lug and therethrough said closing force on saidcover.

9. A journal box lid comprising a cover, a hood connected for limitedrelative angling =to said cover land connectable to a hinge lug of ajournal box, spring means reactable against said lug and acting on saidcover for applying a closing force thereto, a lever fulcrummable on saidhood on any of a plurality of fulcrums extending transversely and spacedlongitudinally thereof, and link means `connected to an upper portion ofsaid spring means and to said lever intermediate said fulcrums, saidlever on fulcruming on any of said fulcrums exerting a retracting forcereducing the force exertable by said spring means against said lug andtherethrough said closing force on said cover.

l0. A journal box lid comprising -a cover, a hood connected for limitedrelative angling to said cover and connectable to a hinge lug of ajournal box, spring means reactable against said lug yand acting on saidcover for applying a closing force thereto, a lever extendinglongitudinally of said hood and projecting below said hood and cover,said lever having an upper portion connected for fulcruming on said hoodon `any of a plurality of fulcrums spaced longitudinally thereof, and alink connecting said lever intermediate said ulcrums to an upper endportion of said spring means, said lever on fulcruming on any of saidfulcrums exerting an outward force reducing the force exertable by saidspring means on said lug and therethrough said closing force on saidcover.

11. A journal box lid comprising a cover, a hood con* nected for limitedrelative angling to said cover and connectable to a hinge lug of ajournal box, spring means reactable against said lug and acting on saidcover for applying a closing force thereto, a lever centeredtransversely on and extending longitud-inally of said hood, said leverhaving an upper portion connected for fulcruming on said hood on any ofa plurality of fulcrums spaced longitudinally thereof, and a linkconnecting said lever intermediate said fulcrums to an upper end portionof said spring means, said lever on tulcruming on any of said fulcrumsexerting an outward force reducing the force exertable by said springmeans on said lug and therethrough said closing force on said cover.

12. A journal box lid comprising a cover, a hood connected for limitedrelative angling to said cover and connectable to a hinge lug of ajournal box, a torsion spring having an upper end reactable against saidhinge lug and therebelow acting between said hood and cover for exertinga closing force on said cover, a lever centered transversely on andextend-ing longitudinally of said hood below said hood and cover, saidlever being fulcrummable on said hood on any of a plurality of fulcrumsspaced longitudinally thereof, a link connecting said upper end of saidspring to said lever intermediate said fulcrums, and spring means actingagainst said hood and inwardly on said link for urging said lever intoengagement with said hood.

13. A journal box lid comprising a cover, a ho-od connected for limitedrelative angling to said cover and connectable to a hinge lug of ajournal box, a torsion spring having an upper end reactable against saidhinge lug and therebelow acting between said hood and cover for exertinga closing force on said cover, a lever centered transversely on andextending longitudinally of said hood below said hood and cover, saidlever being fulcrummable on said hood on any of a plurality of fulcrumsspaced longitudinally thereof, a link pivotally connected to said upperend of said spring and to said lever intermediate said fulcrums, andspring means acting against said hood and inwardly on said link forurging said lever into engagement with said hood.

14. A journal box lid comprising a cover, a hood conected for limitedrelative angling to said cover and connectable to a hinge lug of ajournal box, a torsion spring having an upper end carrying a multipartroller for reaction therethrough against said hinge lug and therebelowacting between said hood and cover for exerting a closing force on saidcover, a lever centered transversely on and extending longitudinally ofsaid hood below said hood and cover, said lever being fulcrummable onsaid hood on any of a plurality of fulcrums spaced longitudinallythereof, a link pivotally connected to said lever intermediate saidfulcrums and to said upper end of said spring intermediate parts of saidroller, and spring means acting against said hood and inwardly on saidlink for urging said lever into engagement with said hood.

15. A journal box comprising a cover, a hood connected for limitedrelative angling to said cover and connectable to a hinge lug of ajournal box, a torsion spring having an upper end carrying a multi-partroller and reactable therethrough against said hinge lug and therebelowacting between said hood and cover for exerting a closing force on saidcover, a lever centered transversely on and extending longitudinally ofsaid hood below said hood and cover, said lever being fulcrumma'ble onsaid hood on any of a plurality of fulcrums spaced longitudinallythereof, an eyebolt having an eye encircling said upper end of saidspring intermedae parts of said roller and a stem projectingsubstantially normal to a front face of said hinge lug loosely throughsaid hood and lever intermediate said fulcrums, axially adjustable meanson said stem outwardly of said lever for connecting said lever to saideyebolt and therethrough to said hoord and spring, and a coil springencircling said stem within said hood and acting inwardly between saidhood and an abutment on said stem for urging said lever into engagementwith said hood without affecting the force exerted by said Spring onsaid lug.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS

